Gift of Love: a GSM Christmas
by KneazleGriff
Summary: Christmas is a time of giving. No one understands this more than Severus whose gift for his new husband may just prove to be the ultimate expression of love. HP/SS. A Gray Skye Mourning Christmas story.
1. Chapter 1

**Gift of Love: a GSM Christmas**

by KneazleGriff

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Summary: **Christmas is a time of giving. No one understands this more than Severus whose gift for his new husband may just prove to be the ultimate expression of love. HP/SS. A Gray Skye Mourning Christmas story.

**Rating: **Rated M for mature sexual situations.

**Disclaimer: **All characters belong to J.K. Rowling

**Appreciation: **A special thank you to **YenGirl** for taking time out of her schedule to Beta this story. I appreciate it so much, Yen! :)

**A/N: **As promised, here's my GSM Christmas offering, a continuation of my full-length story, **Gray Skye Mourning** and its Halloween follow-up story, **Point of Love: a GSM Halloween**. This is Part One of what will be a three-part fic. I plan on posting Part Two next week and then Part Three the following week, just in time for Christmas.

I hope you enjoy it! :D

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Part One**

**Christmas Eve, 6:56am**

"Harry? Are you home? Severus?"

Recognizing Hermione's voice, Harry placed the steaming mug of spiced cider he'd been drinking on the table and hurried from the kitchen area, shivering slightly as his bare feet touched the cold hardwood floor of the living area. Upon reaching the corner hearth, he sat down on the end of the leather sofa closest to it, his emerald eyes fixing upon the anxious-looking ones peeking out through the viridescent flames.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" he asked. "It's not even seven o'clock yet. You never floo-call so early. Has something happened? Is Ron OK?"

"No, nothing's wrong, Harry. Ron's fine – he's still sleeping, actually."

Even with the flickering flames distorting the subtlety in Hermione's soft features, Harry could tell that she was not being entirely forthright. Her brow was knitted with tension and she looked distressed. Almost like how she'd looked just before their OWLs: nervous and close to the point of panic.

"Really," she stressed, "everything's OK. It's just… may I come through?"

"Oh! Yeah, sure!"

Harry shot up from his seat and lunged forward to take his friend's hand, helping her as she stepped out of the flames. Despite the early hour, he was surprised to find her still dressed in her nightclothes – a knee-length terrycloth dressing gown covering pink flannel pajamas, her feet shod in a pair of fuzzy red and white striped slipper socks. As she took a seat in the spot on the sofa Harry had just deserted, she wrapped her arms around her middle and sank back into the cushions, her eyes sliding shut for an overlong blink.

"I take it it's cold at the Burrow?"

"What? Oh! Yes, very," she answered distractedly, running her hands up and down her clothed arms and faking a little shudder. "It's not much better here though."

"OK, Hermione, out with it. What's going on? Why are you here?"

"What?" she countered, eyes widening in what Harry recognized as her expression of faux chagrin. "Can't I visit my best friend on the morning of his wedding?"

"Hermione…"

"Are we alone? Is Severus home?" she asked abruptly. Leaning to the side, she propped herself up with one elbow on the sofa's armrest, scanning the open kitchen with nervous eyes before her gaze darted over to the closed door of Severus' potion lab.

His concern growing – and now mixed with curiosity over his friend's overt display of paranoia – Harry sat down on the edge of the coffee table across from Hermione and shook his head.

"No, he's at Hogwarts, trying to get the last of his marking done. Since we leave for St. George Island right after the reception, this is his last opportunity to finish it. And he does't trust any of the other professors enough to let them grade his exams. You know how obsessively neurotic he can be about his work."

"Right. Neurotic," she parroted, clearly not paying attention, her eyes now glued to her pajama-clad knees.

Having just about enough of her anxious behavior, Harry leaned forward and grasped one of her hands. It was cool to the touch compared to his own mug-warmed one so he brought his other hand to it, wrapping his fingers around it and rubbing the chilled skin to warm it.

"Come on, Hermione. Talk to me. Tell me what's going on. Please?"

"Oh, Harry! I'm so confused and I have no idea what to do! I really hate to burden you with my problems on your wedding day, but I just don't know who else to talk to about this and I–"

"Whoa, Hermione! Back up," Harry interrupted, giving her hand a little squeeze. "First of all, you should know by now that you could never be a burden to me – wedding day or not – and that I will _always_ be here for you. You _and_ Ron."

His attempt to ease her tension failed miserably. At his mention of Ron, Hermione's worried little frown deepened, twisting into a pained grimace. She breathed out shakily and then bit down on the side of her lower lip, a small whimper escaping her throat.

"Hey… is this about you and Ron? Did you two have a fight?"

A clump of frizzy brown hair fell across Hermione's distressed features as she shook her head in the negative. She made no move to sweep it back as she answered, "No. It's nothing like that, Harry."

"Well, then what is it? What's got you so frazzled? It can't be because of your end-of-term exams; I know for a fact that you aced them. Severus said you got top marks on his Defense exam and that your near-perfect performance on your other exams was all Professors Flitwick, Slughorn and Vector could talk about in the staff room yesterday."

He, Ron and Hermione, along with several others who had missed out on the past year at Hogwarts because of the war, had been invited back by Headmistress McGonagall to either continue or complete their magical education. However, since Hogwarts couldn't easily accommodate all of them in their old dormitories, the eldest among them – those seventeen and older – were given special permission to live off-campus. While Hermione and Ron had decided to take up residence at the Burrow and floo to their classes daily through the hearth in Gryffindor Tower, Harry had remained with Severus in their forest cottage.

The only hiccup in this arrangement was that McGonagall had insisted that instead of taking Severus' Defense classes, Harry was to meet with an outside tutor twice a week for Defense. As she'd put it, it would look rather shady if he were to be taught by a professor with whom he was currently in a romantic relationship. Harry had agreed with the Headmistress' condition and was pleasantly surprised to find it was Kingsley Shacklebolt, their newly appointed Minister of Magic himself, who had volunteered for the job. The man's vast knowledge of Defensive theory and solid experience in the field turned out to be second to none. Therefore, it came to no surprise to anyone that Harry excelled under the ex-Auror's tutelage, proving yet again that Defense was his best subject.

What _did come_ as a surprise however, was the fact that Potions had very quickly become his second best subject. Just like Harry's sixth year, Slughorn had spent all term boasting about his potions prowess, never missing an opportunity to sing Harry's praises to his fellow classmates and the other professors regarding his stellar performance. Little did the man know that Harry's success was almost entirely due to Severus' rather intense, reward-based potion lessons taught in the privacy of their home.

Overall, Harry was enjoying the new set-up – his living arrangements, his altered course schedule and his love life. The only real drawback was that he didn't get the chance to see Severus during the day like he had this past summer before school started, but the nights spent in his lover's company more than made up for their time spent apart.

This whole time, Harry had been under the impression that his two best friends were just as contented as he was, but perhaps he had missed something? Could it be possible that Ron and Hermione were not as happy in their relationship as he and Severus were with theirs? He really didn't think so, but he'd never seen Hermione this upset before.

"No," Hermione replied, shaking her head, "I'm not upset because of anything as trivial as grades or school."

Trivial?

Harry blinked. Now he was getting really nervous. For Hermione Granger to put 'trivial' and 'grades' or 'school' in the same sentence, that would mean that whatever was causing her distress must be something big… something earth-shattering… something that could shake the very foundations of life itself…

"I'm pregnant," she blurted out suddenly, snapping Harry out of his anxious musings as sure as if she'd slapped him.

Mouth agape and green eyes wide with shock, he stared at her. She had finally lifted her head and her eyes, abandoning their downcast position, were looking imploringly into his own. The brown orbs were wet, glistening with unshed tears and they held his gaze with unwavering intensity while the seconds seemed to stretch on into long, tension-filled moments of silence.

At long last, Harry shook himself from his stunned stupor long enough to find his voice.

"You're… you're… oh my God, Hermione! Are you sure? I mean, have you seen a doctor… or… or a healer or something?"

"I have an appointment to see Madam Pomfrey this morning at nine, but it's really just a formality. I'm already certain that I'm pregnant," she explained, voice soft and shaking slightly.

"But… but… OK, forgive me for my ignorance here… but how can you be certain?" Harry said, leaning closer to his troubled friend, his hands still embracing Hermione's smaller one.

A chuckle escaped the girl's mouth then, her lips curving up into a knowing smile as she shook her head. "Harry, a woman knows when she's pregnant, alright? There are ways. Plus I took one of those Muggle pregnancy tests and the results were positive."

"A Muggle pregnancy test? Are you sure they're accurate? You should really just wait until Madam Pomfrey gives you a confirmation before you jump to conclu–"

"Harry," she interjected, her voice stronger now and sharp with reprimand. "I _am_ pregnant! The test I took boasts something like ninety-nine percent accuracy! As do the three others I took after that one, not to mention the fact that I'm about three weeks late and I feel like I could vomit just about every time I look at or smell anything edible! I'm bloated and tired and cranky and I'm just so… _so scared_… and I don't know what to do!"

Pulling her hand from Harry's grasp, she buried her face in them, her words dwindling into soft cries as her shoulders shook.

"Hey, it's alright, Hermione. It'll be OK," Harry whispered, placing his now empty hands on her knees. "Have you told anyone else yet? I mean, does Ron know?"

Dropping her hands back into her lap, Hermione once again lifted tearful brown eyes to look into his own, her head shaking back and forth as she nibbled on her lower lip.

"Why, Hermione? Why haven't you told him?" Harry asked, confused. Certainly this was not a planned pregnancy and sure, she and Ron might be a bit on the young side to start a family, but Harry was still certain that his best mate would care and support Hermione through this, be right there beside her through the whole thing. Hell, Ron would probably drop to his knee and propose on the spot! Their impulsive redheaded friend had his faults, certainly, but he loved Hermione – had loved her ever since their third year in school, maybe earlier – and he would never abandon the girl he was so desperately devoted to. No way. Never.

"I know I should tell him… I _need_ to tell him… but I'm just not sure how he'll react, Harry," she said, wiping the back of her hand across her tearing eyes. She tried to run the same hand through her hair to keep it from falling into her face but soon gave up after her fingers got caught in the tangled locks. Sighing in exasperation, she slumped back against the sofa cushions and closed her eyes.

"Look, Hermione, I realize you two probably weren't planning on getting married and having a child while you're still teenagers, but he loves you. Sure, he'll probably freak out a bit when you break the news to him, but it'll work out one way or another. Are you seriously thinking he'll dump you or something? Leave you to have his child alone? Come on, Hermione. You know Ron better than that."

Hermione sat back up and clasped her hands in her lap, her thumbs twirling around each other nervously. She breathed out a deep, trembling breath, hesitated for a moment and then spoke again.

"No, I don't think he would abandon me… or our baby. He's an honorable man, so of course he'd do the right thing. But Harry, we've never even spoken about having children before. Once, after you and Severus became engaged, we discussed marriage. It was kind of an awkward conversation but I think that was only because Ron was so nervous talking about it. His face turned beet red and he was sweating and stammering… well, you know how he gets. Or maybe you don't, I don't know. Regardless, I'm fairly certain that he wants to marry me… _someday_… but we never talked about having a family. Not once. So I have no idea if he even _wants_ to have children! And now I'm pregnant and he'll have no choice in the matter! Harry, I just don't want him to be with me out of… obligation… or something. I don't want him to feel as though his whole future has now been predetermined simply because I was too stupid to remember to take my birth control potion!"

Tears were falling from her eyes in earnest now, sliding down her reddened cheeks and Harry acted on instinct, shooting up from his seated position on the table and sitting down beside her. He wrapped his arms around his sobbing friend and held her close, his hand rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"Shhh, Hermione. Please stop crying. Listen, just go back to the Burrow and talk to him. He loves you so much and nothing will change that," he whispered. Then, suddenly remembering a conversation he had had with Ron several weeks ago, he smiled and added, "And for your information, I happen to know for a fact that Ron _does_ want to have a family with you."

Hermione pulled back abruptly from their embrace and stared up into his eyes, her own teary ones narrowing in confusion.

Smile widening at his friend's expression of piqued curiosity, Harry explained further. "Ron and I were talking about Teddy last month – about how well he's adjusting to living with Andromeda now – and somehow we got on the subject of Wizarding naming traditions. He told me he always thought it was kind of dumb that most Wizarding couples insist on naming their sons using a family name – like Teddy being named after his grandfather – but usually not their daughters. Anyway, he mentioned that when the two of you have your first daughter, he wants her to have your name in some way."

At once, those narrowed brown eyes grew wide and were soon brimming with something more than tears: hope. A huge smile replaced the frown on Hermione's lips and in the next second, Harry had to turn his head sharply to avoid being smothered by a mass of frizzy hair as she launched herself back into his arms.

"Oh, Harry! Thank you so much! You're such a good friend and… _Oh God!_… I've been so stupid! I'm an absolute dunce… a complete, utter, short-sighted fool!"

Harry rubbed his friend's back again, his own smile fit to bursting as he listened to Hermione's self-condemning rant. He held her for a few more moments before she drew back once again, wiping away her tears with the sleeve of her pajamas and sniffing through chuckling breaths.

After composing herself, she grasped Harry's hand and gave it a squeeze, gratitude and relief blatant on her still-smiling face. Then she exhaled deeply, steadily, and met his gaze again.

"Well, I better get back to Ron. We have a lot to discuss, I guess," she said, her eyes alight with excitement now. The brown orbs stayed locked with his own for heartbeat before their owner tilted her head to the side, brow furrowing in question. "So what about you and Severus? Have you two thought about whether you'd like to have children one day?"

"Huh?" Harry asked, caught off-guard, his own head cocked to the side now. His confusion continued for a few more seconds until it occurred to him that she must be talking about adoption. Certainly it was a viable option for Severus and himself, especially after today, when they would officially become a legally bonded couple in the Wizarding World. It wouldn't be difficult to find a child in need of a home either. In the war's wake, there had been an increase in British children – both Magical and Muggle – who were now orphaned. Chances are, he and Severus would have little problem moving through the legal red tape and finding a child, considering that both of them were regarded as war heroes and that homosexuality wasn't frowned on the way it was in the Muggle world.

"Harry?"

"Oh. Yeah, sorry, Hermione. I was just lost in thought for a second," he said, still pondering her question. "Um, the truth is that I'm not sure if children are in our future or not. Actually, I don't even know if Severus would want to have them. I mean, yeah, he's really great with Teddy when Andromeda drops him off for a visit, but that doesn't mean he would want his own. _Our_ own, I mean. We… well… just like you and Ron… we never really got around to talking about children. But it's not like there's any real pressure on us to rush into making a decision. I mean… it's not like one of us is in danger of becoming pregnant like you!"

Harry laughed at his lame joke until it occurred to him belatedly that he was the only one expressing any kind of amusement. Hastily schooling his features lest he had offended Hermione without meaning to, he looked into his friend's piercing gaze, her fierce, knowing expression and instantly felt himself grow nervous.

The look she was giving him now was a familiar one.

It was the same look she'd bestowed on him in their second year when he'd admitted to not understanding why no one else at Hogwarts could talk to snakes. It was also the one she'd pinned him with back in fifth year when he couldn't comprehend why Cho kept staring at him at their very first unofficial DA meeting in the Hog's Head. In fact, each time he or Ron was unlucky enough to suggest the possibility of someone Apparating in or out of Hogwarts grounds, they would get that very same _please-tell-me-you're-not-that-stupid_ look.

Seeing it right now after the last few words he'd uttered prompted a shudder of dread to ripple down Harry's spine, his stomach twisting in on itself.

"What? What did I say?" he asked anyway, licking his lips nervously. God, he hated her looking at him like that!

Hermione's eyebrows lifted, disappearing beneath her bangs. The effect seemed to accentuate her already discomfiting expression, making Harry feel decidedly more nervous, his palms beginning to sweat a little.

"Come on, Hermione," he said, forcing a smile, despite his sudden unease. "You're not seriously going to tell me that Wizards can get pregnant, are you? Because I'm pretty sure Sev would have let me know if that was a possibility."

He forced out another laugh which dwindled off when Hermione didn't break so much as a smile.

"Actually, Harry, it _is_ possible. I thought you of all people would have known–"

"What!?" Harry shouted, jumping to his feet. "Holy shit! Are you serious? And just how the hell would I have known something like that? What – because I'm labeled as gay now? That automatically means that I would know–"

"No!" Hermione cried, grasping Harry's now flailing hands and holding them firmly in her own. "No, I didn't think you'd know about it because you're in a homosexual relationship! I thought you'd know about it because you're about to marry Severus!"

Interrupted from his frantic outburst, Harry stared down at her, blinking several times as he tried to make sense of what she just said. He wanted to tell her that that wasn't the reason they were getting married, but his mind was distracted, still reeling over the idea that Wizards could become pregnant.

Holy Merlin! Did that mean that _he_ could be pregnant right this moment? Or that Severus could be? Neither of them had ever used any means of protection, not even once! But for God's sake, Harry had no earthly clue how this seemingly impossible feat of science-fiction nonsense could even work! He knew the basics of reproduction and the last time he checked, neither he nor Severus had the proper equipment to bear a child!

"Harry, calm down, please," Hermione commanded, pulling him back to sit down beside her again. Once he was seated, she grabbed his chin so that he was forced to look at her. "Hey, I'm sorry I freaked you out. I just thought Severus would have already explained this stuff to you. Look, you're not pregnant, OK?"

"But how do you know? You just said–"

"I said that it was _possible_," she interrupted, her fingers still tight around his jaw to keep his attention, _"possible_, Harry, not _probable_ and certainly not without great effort and preparation."

Seeing the blank expression that Harry knew was on his face, Hermione sighed and continued, her earlier panic forgotten as she adopted a familiar lecturing tone.

"Male pregnancies are extremely rare in the Wizarding World and they don't just happen as a result of unprotected intercourse like they do with a man and a woman. There's a specific potion that the male who wishes to carry the child must take daily for something like two months or so before a pregnancy can even be possible. The potion causes the drinker to grow an artificial womb inside his abdomen but from what I've read, even after this step is undertaken, nearly all known attempts at conception have resulted in failure because apparently, both wizards have to be exceedingly powerful – magically speaking – for a conception to occur and even then, there are no guarantees that the fetus will take to the artificial environment and grow to term.

"And I only said that I thought you would have already known about this because… well, _Severus_ is the Potions Master who invented the potion that makes it possible… so I figured you two had discussed the possibility considering you're about to be married!"

"He… he invented it? The potion?"

"Yes."

"Oh my God. When? When did he invent it?"

"I don't recall the exact year, Harry. It was back in our fifth year when I read about it. But I do remember it was in a book about great Wizarding inventions from the last twenty-five years."

Hermione released his chin and immediately Harry lowered his head, his eyes unfocused as they stared down at his own hands folded in his lap. He was... stunned... by this news – to put it mildly – and his head was spinning from the sheer shock of it.

He had been truthful when he told Hermione that he and Severus had never discussed raising children together, but Harry would be lying now if he were to claim that _he_ hadn't thought about it. In fact, he'd thought about adoption several times – more frequently since their engagement – and had considered approaching Severus about the idea on a number of occasions. His famed Gryffindor bravery always seemed to elude him though, because each time he tried, he ended up backing down and coming up with some excuse or another not to broach the subject.

Despite his reluctance to talk about it with Severus, Harry really did want to have children with him – very much so – and whether that was through adoption or by other magical means made no difference to him. He supposed the real reason he remained hesitant to bring up the topic with his lover was that, deep down, he suspected that Severus didn't share this same desire to start a family – a thought that always caused a pang of regret to gnaw at Harry's heart and one he ruthlessly suppressed each time it arose lest Severus detect it through their link.

But to find out now that Severus had actually _invented_ a potion that would enable a man to conceive? Well, this changed everything! Severus must secretly _want_ to have children with him! Why else would his lover invent such a thing if he weren't intending for it to one day be used by his long lost love from the past. Harry knew Severus had never completely given up hope that Gray would return to him. Otherwise, the man never would have invented a cure for his nerve damage during Gray's absence. So it stands to reason that this potion, too, was masterminded in the hopes that once they were reunited, Severus' soul mate, Gray Skye – aka Harry, himself – would drink this potion and bear them one or more children. Certainly, his intention was not for the reverse to take place – for Severus himself to become pregnant. Harry was fairly sure his lover was too occupied with his career as a Hogwarts professor and his ongoing potions research to commit to the physical and emotional burden of carrying a child.

"Hermione," he whispered at last, lifting his head so that his gaze met hers once more. There was concern swimming within the warm brown depths as he looked into them, but that concern melted away when Harry's lips curved up into a hesitant smile. "I think he invented that potion for me. I think… I think he hopes that one day, I'll consent to giving birth to our child, but for whatever reason, he's been too nervous to talk to me about it."

"And how do _you_ feel about the idea?" she asked, a reciprocal smile mirrored on her face now.

"I think it's brilliant. A little terrifying… but brilliant."

"So you'd actually be willing to consider it?"

Harry nodded easily, his smile huge now. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I would."

At once, Harry's vision was obscured by a mass of bushy brown as his friend embraced him and then shot to her feet, pulling him with her, her lips placing a firm kiss to his cheek.

Harry hugged her back, reveling in the seemingly endless supply of support and comfort she was always willing to give him. Turning his head, he placed his own kiss to her cheek, then brought his thumb up to it, wiping away the wetness he'd felt there from her earlier tears.

Pulling away at last, Hermione gifted Harry with one last beaming smile before saying, "Well, I guess I'm not the only one who needs to initiate a discussion about future children tonight. Will you wait until after the ceremony?"

"I'll have to, won't I?" Harry replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Severus is going to the Hog's Head right after he's done with his marking. He's rented a room there to get ready. I won't even see him again until he arrives back here for our bonding ceremony at five. Which reminds me... would you please ask Ron to be here by three-thirty – not four like we talked about yesterday? I need to go over the words of the handfasting ritual with him one more time. During the rehearsal ceremony, he slipped up and referred to the _act of binding_ as an _act of bondage_. I don't even want to imagine the look on Mrs. Weasley's face if he were to make that same mistake during the real ceremony!"

Hermione nodded her agreement as she walked over to the hearth, one hand covering her mouth to stifle her amusement, the other grabbing a handful of floo powder from the box on the mantle. A moment later, she was gone amid a flare of restive green flames, her shouted destination of the Burrow less articulate than normal as she finally succumbed to an eruption of unrestrained giggles.

Still smiling from the morning's surprising developments and from Ron's propensity to screw up the words to Muggle Neopaganism rituals, Harry made a mental note to ask Hermione later if she actually made it to the correct grate on the first try. Trusting his friend to find her way home regardless, he made his way back to the kitchen and sat down at the table, giving his Gemina bonding ring an absentminded tap with the tip of his thumb while whispering a warming charm on his now room-temperature cider.

**Chapter End – To Be Continued.**

**A/N:** Look for Part Two to be posted sometime next week, hopefully by Wednesday, the 17th. :)

**Please Review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Part Two**

**Christmas Eve, 4:48pm**

"So I told Hermione," Ron said, handing Harry his cufflinks and then taking a step back so that his friend could gaze into the mirror unobstructed, "Jean is a perfectly good name for a girl! I looked it up and it means 'Gift from God.' What name is more fitting than that for this baby, huh? I mean, she _is_ a gift! OK, so she certainly wasn't planned for and it's going to be rough trying to figure out how to take proper care of her – financially speaking – but after everything we've been through over the past few years, I can't think of any name more suitable than one that means 'Gift from God', can you? Plus it's Hermione's middle name! It has familial significance!"

Finishing his long-winded speech and the rest of his breath, Ron gulped in another and met Harry's gaze through the reflection in the full-length mirror in front of them, his hard look and dramatic pause a clear indication that he was expecting an affirming response.

Harry denied him that response a little longer while he finished fastening the second of his two golden snitch-shaped cufflinks to his sleeve, a pre-wedding gift from Ginny. He was pretty certain they were more a peace-offering in the aftermath of their own failed relationship than a token of congratulations, despite her words to the contrary, but he appreciated the gesture and the gift. Besides, their golden color matched his ring perfectly.

Feeling the cufflink's metal clasp twist firmly into place, Harry straightened up and began to scrutinize his appearance. He looked good – or at least he thought he did – dressed in a crisp white tailored dress shirt, a silk grey vest with matching bow tie and slender-fit charcoal grey trousers. Completing the ensemble was a modern-cut ebony dress robe made from fine silk that fastened at mid-chest to hang loose and open at his waist and below. It was the most expensive garment of his wedding day attire – even more so than the chimaera fur lined black boots he'd purchased last week to match it – but it was worth it. He wanted to look his very best for his soon-to-be bondmate and husband and this outfit certainly helped with that goal.

Now, if only he could get his damned hair to lie flat for once.

"Oi, Harry – what's up with you? Kneazle got your tongue?"

"Huh?"

Ron sighed in exasperation. "The baby's name, Harry. What do you think of Jean?"

"Oh, right. Jean's nice. But didn't you say Hermione doesn't like it?"

"Well, she thinks it's OK for a middle name, but not for a first name. Says she likes the name Rose better."

"Rose is a good name, too," Harry agreed distractedly, dragging a comb through the unruly strands of hair that continued to defy gravity, sticking up like a mohawk at the back of his head. "Though I don't understand why you're so convinced the baby's a girl. Didn't you say Madam Pomfrey mentioned this morning that it's far too early to tell the sex?"

"Yeah, she did. Let's just call it a hunch, then. Because, Harry, 'Gift from God' or not, something tells me this little bundle of unexpected joy is going to be just like her mum, showing up uninvited and then winning my heart over too fast for me to complain. Yep. I'd bet my Cleansweep on it. This baby's definitely a Granger girl."

Harry couldn't help it; he laughed out loud at Ron's adamant words and nod. Abandoning his losing battle with his hair, he chucked his comb onto the bed behind him and then turned around, his smile broadening when his eyes met Ron's.

"So, are you going to propose?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Hermione had been fretting over nothing at all.

Ron snorted and rolled his eyes as if to point out Harry's stupidity for asking such a question. "Of course I'm going to. I was planning on doing it anyway when we were done with school – next September, you know, for her birthday. But now I'm thinking New Year's Eve might be a better option since the baby's due in August. Mind you, I won't be able to offer her an engagement ring like I would have if I'd waited until her birthday, but I'm hoping she won't care about that."

"Of course she won't!" Harry said, beaming. "So, you're ready to be a father?"

At that question, Ron's excitement dimmed a bit.

"No idea, mate," he answered, exhaling a shaky breath, "but that's not really the point, is it? I _am_ going to be one and… Merlin, Harry, I still have a hard time believing it's _me_ that she wants to spend her life with... let alone _me_ that she wants to start a family with. I'm just so... so damned lucky to have her..."

Harry shook his head, bringing a hand to Ron's shoulder and squeezing it affectionately. For a fleeting moment, his mind drifted away from his two best friends and settled instead on Severus and himself. He couldn't help but revel in the newly discovered knowledge that one day, they too might find themselves in the same situation – contemplating baby names and feeling blessed to be expecting a new addition to their family – a situation that was only possible thanks to Severus' potion genius and because of Harry's willingness to bear them a child.

Shaking himself from his tangent reverie, Harry redirected his focus, giving Ron's shoulder another squeeze.

"No, Ron... you're _both_ lucky to have each other. And your baby's lucky too, having you two as parents, regardless of what she's named."

"I–thanks, mate."

Ron moved forward and they shared a rare embrace, complete with awkward pats to the back and a hurried release. Withdrawing a few steps, Ron plunged his hand into the pocket of his crimson dress robes – no doubt to check for the third time in the past half hour that the handfasting cord was still there – and then pulled his hand back out before turning his wrist to examine his watch.

"Oi! It's almost five, Harry! We've got to go. You ready?"

Swallowing hard past the lump of nervous excitement that had just lodged itself in his throat, Harry nodded before taking another quick glance at himself in the mirror. His hair was still sticking up a bit in the back, but he supposed Severus was used to that. The only time it didn't do that was when it was still wet from the shower. He considered casting a subdued Aguamenti spell – one that would cause only a fine spray of water to settle over his hair – but decided against it. He was suddenly feeling too nervous to attempt even basic spells, let alone subtle variants of them.

"Harry! Ron! We're ready out here!"

Mrs. Weasley entered the cottage great room from its high arched gothic doorway – which she had decorated earlier that afternoon with twisted branches of holly, evergreen and mistletoe tied up with red velvet bows and silver tinsel – and bustled over to where he and Ron stood beside the four-poster.

"Oh Harry! You look so handsome!" she gushed, lunging forward and nearly smothering him in a tight embrace. Then she maneuvered Harry to stand apart from her at arm's length, her hands still gripping his upper arms as she studied him with tearful brown eyes. "You and Severus are going to be so happy together, I just know it! All my boys are growing up... so fast..."

The rest of her statement withered into incoherent sobs and emotional gasps through falling tears, her words muffled by the handkerchief pressed to her mouth. Shaking her head from side to side, she raised the cloth and used it to wipe away the tears from her cheeks and eyes. With a deep and fortifying breath, she finally gathered herself enough to speak again, her hands now busy smoothing out a couple of tiny wrinkles on Harry's silk robe.

"Well then," she said through a deep sigh, "are you ready, dear? Severus and Kingsley are in position and all your guests are seated."

Exhaling an anxious breath, Harry dropped his gaze to the Prince family Gemina bonding ring on the third finger of his left hand, feeling his face stretch into an involuntary smile. In a gesture that had become both his and Severus' habit since their engagement, he pressed his thumb to it, causing the skin-warmed metal to push against his 'point of love.' The effect was the same as it always was – a heady rush of love and desire for his lover that seemed to course through every part of him, filling his heart with adoration and saturating his very soul with warmth and peaceful contentment.

"Yes," he replied at last, moisture forming at the corners of his eyes. He blinked the wetness away, swallowed past that lump in his throat and then turned toward his surrogate mother, his involuntary smile now fully intentional. "Yes. I'm ready."

With an audible sniff and another quick dab at her tearful eyes with her handkerchief, Mrs. Weasley turned around, leading Harry and Ron through the cottage, out past the festively adorned entryway and down the front steps that preceded the garden.

As they traversed the garden, Harry glanced at its contents. Severus' once lush array of flowers and herbs that had recently been trimmed back for winter were now covered in a thin sheen of ice-blue frost that glittered like tiny jeweled sapphires in the waning rays of the setting sun. The effect was beautiful and Harry suspected that perhaps this was why Mrs. Weasley had kept this part of the cottage grounds untouched, for it alone seemed bereft of her decorative flair.

The rest of the grounds were completely transformed, a silent testament to how Molly had occupied her afternoon. Several long benches whose seats were now occupied by a few dozen expectant wedding guests, were comprised of black river-smoothed stone slats and long redwood planks trimmed in ivy. The benches faced a rustic trellis that was situated at the pond's edge, at the very base of the aged dock. The trellis was constructed from boughs of deep crimson redwood – just like the beams comprising the cottage's interior – and wreathed in wild tendrils of balsam fir, holly and mistletoe vines that cascaded in uneven falls from the dark structure.

Even the surrounding trees, Harry noticed, had not escaped the Weasley matriarch's attention. Their branches were dusted with snow and supported varying sizes of glistering icicles. Harry wasn't quite certain how she'd managed that particular feat since it had not snowed at Hogwarts in weeks and the current temperature was just above freezing, but the sight of it was nothing less than breathtaking. Even her ice sculptures – one set up on either side of the trellis – looked amazing. They were not, as Bill had voiced at their engagement party on Halloween, over the top, but that was mostly due to Severus' insistence that he be permitted to pick the subject of the sculptures. Harry had to admit, the thestral foal on his side of the trellis was beautifully carved while the Chatham raven sculpture on Severus' side was a magnificent replica of Solus.

Mrs. Weasley slowed her steps once they reached the frontmost bench on the left side and turned back around, tears once again freely flowing down her reddened cheeks. Without a word, she pulled Harry into her arms for another warm embrace and then took her seat between her husband and her eldest son.

"Go on, Harry," Ron whispered, nudging him toward the trellis with his elbow. "Kingsley's waiting."

Perhaps he was, but Harry only had eyes for Severus, standing some thirty feet away, dark eyes locked with his own. Looking deeply into those emotive depths, Harry felt his mouth go dry and his breath catch in his throat, his heart speeding up its already quickened pace. He felt incapable of moving his legs and remained rooted to the spot, green eyes widening as they roamed over the long, elegant lines of his very well-dressed lover.

Severus looked incredible, though he was not – as was his custom – dressed in all black. Like Harry, he'd chosen to wear mostly grey; his form-flattering trousers were a dark gunmetal grey while his robes were made of a light smoky grey material that opened in the front like his own. His shoes however, were a shined black patent leather and his shirt, as well as his silk cravat tie, was a deep, rich garnet.

Ignoring Ron's not-so-gentle nudge, Harry lifted his gaze and noticed that Severus' hair was different, too. It was sleek and shiny and pulled back away from his face, tied neatly at the nape of his neck. The new style afforded Harry a perfect view of his lover's long porcelain neck – now devoid of the scars from Nagini's attack after many applications of his own scar-fading potion – and immediately he began to feel much warmer than the frigid winter evening warranted, the palms of his hands becoming damp with sweat.

"Harry," Ron whispered, more insistently this time. "Stop ogling the man and get a move on! Flitwick's Maximus Warming Charm is good, mate, but it's still bloody cold out here. If we don't get started soon, we'll all be as frozen as mum's ice sculptures!"

Blinking, Harry looked around, half expecting to see their wedding guests already encased in a layer of ice. Once assured this was not the case, he returned his gaze toward the direction of his lover, focusing his attention on that spot directly between them where they were to meet and become bonded. Both he and Severus had decided early on in their planning that neither of them wanted to 'walk down the aisle' as was the tradition in most weddings. Harry had insisted it was too bride-like and Severus had agreed. Instead, they elected to have no center aisle at all, just several long rows of benches centrally located behind a wedding platform overlooking the pond. Their plan was for Harry to stand at the end of the frontmost bench on the left side with Severus opposite him on the right side. Then, they were to walk toward each other at the same time, meeting at the center point where their officiant, Kingsley, stood waiting beneath the trellis.

At another impatient nudge from Ron, Harry gave himself a firm mental shake. He took a deep breath to try and ease his nerves and then began to make his way toward Kingsley.

Severus mirrored his movements, gliding toward him with long, measured strides, his eyes never once leaving Harry's own. When they were just inches apart, Severus reached for his hands and held them in his own, their cool fingers becoming warm as they laced together.

"You're nervous," Severus whispered, the corners of his mouth curving up into a crooked grin.

"A little," Harry breathed out, "You?"

"A bit. You look stunning, Harry."

Harry smiled and looked down at their clasped hands, an embarrassed huff escaping his lips in a wisp of icy vapor. He knew he looked alright, but it was Severus who looked stunning. He wanted to voice that thought aloud but his head suddenly felt empty of words that wouldn't sound trite. Instead, he looked back up, allowing his deep admiration to show in his eyes while coaxing it to reach out to his lover through their link. When Severus' smile deepened and a reciprocal rush of love and affection surged through Harry a second later, he knew his feelings were not only acknowledged, but appreciated as well.

A deep rumbling voice snatched Harry's attention away from their silent exchange and he turned toward Kingsley who had just begun to address their guests. As the Minister spoke, Harry felt Severus squeeze his hands, the man's thumb pressing against the ring on Harry's finger. As always, the caress prompted Harry's heart to swell with emotion, his legs weakening a touch. Feeling a wave of lightheadedness, Harry swayed a fraction of an inch before Severus steadied him with another firm squeeze to their joined hands, his thumb lifting from the ring.

"Friends, family, loved ones. We are here tonight to celebrate the enduring love shared between Harry James Potter and Severus Tobias Snape and to witness their commitment and promise to each other as they enter into their new journey as bonded souls. They have chosen to express their intention to join through the ancient Muggle ritual of handfasting and by utilizing the time-honored traditional magic of the Gemina bonding ring. We shall begin with the handfasting ceremony.

"Mr. Weasley, the cord please?"

Ron stood up from where he had just taken a seat on the front bench between Hermione and Ginny and approached the standing trio, his hand withdrawing the gold braided cord from his robe pocket.

Harry watched as Ron wrapped the binding rope around his and Severus' enfolded hands two times, relieved that his friend's movements at least were identical to what they had practiced last week at their rehearsal ceremony. He only hoped the less-than-studious redhead would abide by the script he and Severus had agreed upon as well, instead of blurting out a depraved variation of it as he did then.

Clearing his throat softly, Ron looked up at Harry's nervous features, gave him what appeared to be an attempt at a reassuring grin, and then began to recite the words to the handfasting ritual.

"Harry, will you share in Severus' pain while seeking to ease it and in his burdens while seeking to alleviate them for all the days of your lives together?"

"Yes," Harry replied hoarsely, his eyes locked with Severus' now, "I will."

"And Severus, will you share in Harry's pain while seeking to ease it and in his burdens while seeking to alleviate them for all the days of your lives together?"

"I will," Severus answered softly.

Ron took hold of the longest end of the golden cord and wound it once more around their hands as he continued, "And so the binding is made."

Harry shared a knowing look with his lover then, relief passing through both of them via their link at Ron's perfect recitation. A small breath, filled with both nervous energy and excitement, escaped Harry when he saw Severus bite down on the side of his lower lip a second later – something he used to do often when he was eighteen, but now only when he was feeling overly nervous. Seeking to ease his lover's anxiety, Harry squeezed the man's hand, sweeping the tips of his fingers across the back of it in a gentle caress. A wave of warmth and peace flooded him then and Harry watched as Severus released his abused lip, the dark eyes closing for a moment as he breathed out a slow, measured breath.

Ron's words as he continued his recitation caused both of them to break from their private moment, Severus' eyes snapping open.

"Harry, will you share in Severus' dreams and in his laughter, will you always look for his brightness, his potential and his joy and revel in it as if it were your own?"

"I will."

"Severus, will you share in Harry's dreams and in his laughter, will you always look for his brightness, his potential and his joy and revel in it as if it were your own?"

"I will."

"And so the binding is made."

Again, Ron reached below their merged hands for the cord, wrapping it around them loosely before speaking one final time.

"Harry, will you honor Severus in this union as an equal, as another part of you, heart, mind and soul, now and forever?"

"I will," Harry said, though it was barely audible, his treacherous voice beginning to fail him. His breathing was starting to pulse, becoming short and shallow. Forcing himself to take a deep breath, he let the air out a little at a time, trying to shake off this seemingly overwhelming feeling of love and happiness welling up in his chest, but it was no use. He was a mass of swirling emotions at the moment and he doubted that would change before the ceremony's conclusion.

"Severus, will you honor Harry in this union as an equal, as another part of you, heart, mind and soul, now and forever?"

"I-I will," Severus replied breathily, voice cracking with emotion. The dark eyes were wet now, glassy and reflective like the icicles hanging from the surrounding trees and Harry felt his chest tighten as he looked deeply into their vitreous depths, heart racing and throat burning with the effort not to pull his lover into his arms right now.

"And so the binding is made," Ron said, looping the cord one last time around their hands before returning to his seat.

Kingsley then stepped forward, placing a hand beneath Harry's and Severus' hands and lifting them slightly as he proclaimed, "Just as these hands are bound as one, so too are their hearts and spirits, joined in a union based on love and trust. May these hands be blessed this day. May they always hold each other. May they have the strength to hang on during future storms of stress and the dark of disillusionment unknown. May they remain tender and gentle as they nurture each other in their fated love. May these hands be healer, protector, shelter and guidance for each other for all the days of their bonded lives."

Reaching down to the dangling end of the cord, Kingsley loosened the binding, letting the loops slide back to both Harry's and Severus' wrists and allowing their hands more mobility as he whispered, "Harry, the ring?"

Giving a shaky nod toward the Minister, Harry breathed out another fettered breath as he struggled to stave off the tears that were now begging to be released. Then he grasped onto the Gemina bonding ring with his right thumb and forefinger. As he began to slide it toward his knuckle, he looked up, meeting his soon-to-be husband's moist eyes before speaking the words he'd decided weeks ago would be for Severus' ears only.

In a voice softer than a whisper, he breathed out the words, feeling his hold over his emotions slip as a tear slid down his cheek.

"No beginning and no end, yet intuitive of the journey there and back again. Our love is like this ring, Severus. Infinite. Forever. One becomes two as two become one."

At Harry's final words, the cool metal encircling his knuckle turned hot and pliant just before it halved into twin bands of brilliant gold amid a pulsing flash of white light. As soon as the luminance receded, Harry pushed the innermost ring back into place on his own finger and then removed the outer one, sliding it past the tip of his finger and immediately onto the third finger of Severus' left hand. He took his time placing the band in place, relishing the gentle quake to Severus' hand as he held it within his own and the soft sounds of his lover's tremulous breaths.

Keeping a firm hold on the shaking hand, Harry looked up into those beloved dark eyes which had at last, like his own, succumbed to their tears. He lost himself in the tearful depths, in the open expression of enduring love within them that was just for him.

"I love you," Severus whispered under his breath, trembling lips barely moving.

"I love you, too," Harry returned, barely able to get the words out.

"Severus and Harry," came Kingsley's rich baritone voice, loud and authoritative, "you are now bound to one another for life. You may celebrate this new union with a customary kiss."

Severus was the first to rouse himself from their handfasting, curling his fingers around the braided cord and pulling it away from their clasped hands. He placed one hand to the back of Harry's neck and pulled him close, his cool lips pressing forward in a breath-warmed kiss that lingered as Harry moved closer, wrapping his arms around his husband's back.

A moment later, they broke apart to a tumult of applause and exuberant cheers, Kingsley's booming voice barely carrying above the enthusiastic din.

"Dear friends and family, it is my great honor to present to you for the first time… Messrs. Potter-Snape!"

The applause increased in intensity, roaring in Harry's ears like a thundering herd of hippogriffs, but he never once turned his tearful gaze away from his new husband. His nervousness, so acute moments ago was gone now, replaced with a profound sense of soul-deep contentment and a seemingly endless well of abiding affection and love that was coursing through him. He knew Severus felt it too, their channel somehow more open now, their emotions flowing as freely between them as they always did during their most private moments of intimacy.

With effort, Harry gathered himself, tamping down on his runaway emotions long enough to reach up and remove Severus' hand from around the back of his neck, twining their fingers together and letting their joined hands fall between them. He turned toward their gathered loved ones, studying all their beaming grins and tearful eyes for a moment before returning his gaze to Severus and asking, "Shall we, Severus Potter-Snape?"

"Yes, Harry Potter-Snape," Severus replied, his joyful smile twisting into a wicked-looking smirk at the name. The smirk only intensified as they made their way hand-in-hand past the right flank of benches filled with their applauding guests, through the frost-covered garden and up the few steps that led to the high arched gothic doorway of their cottage.

Soon, they would be Apparating to the Burrow for their reception, as their guests were already beginning to do, but not quite yet. They had previously decided to take these first few moments as a newly bonded couple for themselves and arrive fashionably late. Considering their mussed state – eyes glistening with happy tears and cheeks flushed from the cold – Harry was even more grateful for this decision, needing some time to compose himself.

Once they reached the cottage door, Severus – his devious smirk still in place – leaned into Harry and spoke softly into his ear, his whispered words sending chills of anticipatory excitement to surge through him.

"You realize I will be collecting on our deal this evening. If you recall, the price for me agreeing to go along with the name Potter-Snape, as opposed to Snape-Potter, was one night where you are completely at my mercy. Very fitting that it should be our first night together as bondmates."

Then he brushed a feather-light kiss below Harry's ear and added with a little chuckle, as if he could sense Harry's surprise, "Don't worry, love. It will involve nothing depraved, I assure you. I've something very special planned for us tonight."

Withdrawing from the reddening ear, but remaining close, he turned so his warm breath caressed Harry's lips, their foreheads now touching. Their gazes locked again and those dark eyes pinned Harry with an expression that was suddenly much more earnest as Severus spoke once more in a hushed breath of voice.

"Very special, Harry."

**Chapter End - To Be Continued.**

**A/N:** Two parts down, one more to go! I hope you're all enjoying this story so far. I know I'm having a blast writing it. And I realize that I've already credited and thanked my Beta, Yen, in the beginning of this story, but I just can't help doing so again. She was a huge help sculpting and tweaking this chapter and her brilliant touches, additions and suggestions really made all the difference. Thanks so much, Yen!

I hope to post the next and final chapter to this story by the middle of next week. I'm shooting for Christmas Eve. ;)

**Please Review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Part Three**

**Christmas Eve, 9:32pm**

"Alone at last!" Harry exclaimed as he and Severus entered their cottage. Its warmth was even more welcoming than usual after having just trudged through the cold from the Apparition point located just beyond the protective wards of the cottage grounds.

Staggering slightly as he crossed the great room – an unfortunate side-effect of Apparating with a stomach full of champagne – Harry whirled around and then collapsed on his back onto their four-poster, both hands coming up to fold beneath his head with elbows sticking out.

"Honestly, Sev," Harry added, sighing tiredly, "I thought they'd never let us leave the Burrow. If you hadn't insisted that we'd miss our international portkey if we didn't get going soon, I think we might have been stuck there all night. Not that I didn't enjoy the party, but seriously! Three hours of drinking champagne while reminiscing about past potion class fiascos and debating which former Defense professor was the most twisted is a bit much."

Severus chuckled as he approached the bed and sat down, leaning forward to remove his shoes and socks before straightening back up and loosening his tie.

"It was your wedding reception, Harry. You can't expect your friends – the Weasleys, in particular – not to indulge in a bit of nostalgia with you and you certainly can't expect them to let you go without some protest. It's only logical they would want to celebrate with you as long as possible. However, I wasn't about to let them keep us from our honeymoon which is why I felt the need to issue that polite reminder."

"Speaking of... why are you getting so comfortable?" Harry asked, sitting up and gesturing toward Severus' discarded shoes. "Don't we have a portkey to catch? I thought we only came back to the cottage for our luggage."

"Actually, I floo-called the Center For International Wizarding Transport yesterday and had our departure time changed. They're now expecting us at the site tomorrow morning at nine-thirty instead of tonight at ten. That should afford us plenty of time to check in to our rental and still make it to the beach by noon," Severus explained, standing up briefly to remove his robe. After folding it neatly and placing it in one of the drawers in the bedside table, he sat back down before turning halfway toward Harry, his dark eyes cast down and fixated on some random spot on the comforter. "I hope you don't mind, Harry... but I thought perhaps it would be better to spend our first night as a bonded couple in our own bed."

Harry smiled, finding the thought wonderfully romantic. He was about to offer his wholehearted agreement, his thoughts already straying to how he could use this time together in the comforts of their own home to bring up the subject he and Hermione had discussed this morning – namely, the possibility of Harry taking his husband's male pregnancy potion so that they could start a family – when a sudden blast of nervousness assailed him through their sensory link.

Blindsided by the seemingly out-of-the-blue emotional surge, he closed his eyes and breathed out a shaky breath, his own anxiety now spiking along with Severus'. When he opened his eyes, he saw his new husband rigid with tension, head still lowered and eyes seemingly frozen to that same spot on the bed.

"Hey, it's fine with me, Sev. I'd love to spend our first night here," Harry quickly reassured him.

Crawling closer on his hands and knees, he embraced Severus from behind and pressed a kiss to his temple, feeling the tremors that shook the lean frame. He leaned forward enough to see those ebony eyes squeezed shut now and a lower lip captured between crooked teeth.

"Sev, you're nervous. Why? Please... talk to me. Tell me what's wrong."

Severus slowly opened his eyes and turned in Harry's arms to face him, those dark orbs taking on an anxious expression as they gazed deeply, piercingly, into Harry's.

As the seconds stretched on amid a tense silence, waves of Severus' acute apprehension continued to pummel Harry through their link, dousing him in something like icy dread, his own body beginning to shake in reaction.

At length, the muscles lining Severus' throat tensed in a tight swallow and his thin lips released a shaky breath, raspy words tumbling out with it in something less than a whisper, "Do you want children, Harry?"

Harry's breath caught in his throat at the unexpected question and then his eyes widened, sweet relief flooding him as he realized his husband's mounting anxiety involved nothing too serious. For a moment there, he had been imagining all sorts of horrible and far-fetched scenarios...

Still, his relief was short-lived, replaced almost instantly by a wave of utter confusion. He knew that Severus had considered the subject of having children at great length over the years – his invention of a potion to enable a male to conceive a child was proof of that. But why was he so damned distraught when he asked that loaded question, glazed-over ebony eyes emanating something that looked suspiciously like fear – fear that Harry could still feel barreling through him in thick, caustic waves via their link.

Realizing that Severus was waiting for a reply, Harry opened his mouth to speak, but found he could voice nothing more than a few stammered syllables, his mind still too perplexed as to what had caused his lover's intense anxiety to speak properly.

"I… Sev, I-I don't... I don't underst–"

"I should have asked you this before," Severus cut in, turning away from Harry sharply. His voice was stronger now – stronger, but self-damning, an abrasive note of deep remorse edging his tone. "I-I'm sorry, Harry. Our wedding night is a terrible time to bring this up but I… I had thought… the way you look at Teddy…. I had convinced myself… but, I… no, it's of no consequence. It doesn't matter. I shouldn't have–"

With a shake of his head, Severus made to stand, the action fracturing Harry's state of sluggish confusion and propelling him toward the hazy beginnings of comprehension. Suddenly, his disjointed response and feeble dismissal made perfect sense to Harry who was convinced Severus had hoped for a very long time – perhaps as long as twenty years – that if Gray Skye were to one day return to him, they could have a life together – a real life with a home, a marriage and children of their own. And even though Severus had been blessed enough to realize two of those three dreams, the third and most daring one now felt like too much to wish for, too much to even consider asking his soulmate and husband for, despite all the steps he had taken over the years to make that dream possible.

In a rare flash of insight, Harry realized this also explained Severus' long-held reticence in the matter, the reason why he hadn't once brought up the subject all these months following Gray's return from the past. Severus was afraid that Harry would not want to have children with him or that if he did, he would never agree to being the one to carry their child to term. And now, he must be thinking that Harry's silence and his own presumption – maybe both – had just cost him that dearly longed for dream.

But he couldn't be more wrong.

Quickly grasping onto a pale wrist, Harry pulled his husband back onto the bed and into his arms, placing a swift kiss to his downturned lips.

"Yes! Yes, I want children with you!" he blurted out. "And…" He pulled back enough to gaze into those dark eyes that were now brimming with hope, open and vulnerable, wanting. "And I want to be the one to carry our child, to give birth to him… or her. I-I want to take your potion, Sev."

Ebony eyes widened, the hope within their depths obscured now by genuine shock. "You… you know about the Geno Virilus Potion? How?"

"I only found out today – this morning, actually. Hermione told me about it," Harry explained, hurrying his words in his haste to reiterate his heart's desire. He needed Severus to believe that this was truly something he wanted and not something he was willing to do simply to ease his husband's distress. "Severus, I really, really want to do this, despite only just learning of the possibility of it. I want to have your child – _our child_. I want–"

"No."

Harry drew back at the unexpected dismissal and stared at Severus, his burgeoning excitement grinding to a painful and abrupt halt. That single word from his husband's lips, sharp and direct, felt like a puncture wound to his chest.

"Come here," Severus whispered. Grasping onto Harry's tense shoulders, he pulled him closer, sliding his hands down the length of Harry's arms until their hands met and joined, their fingers sliding between each other's. "You misunderstand. But that's my fault. I should have explained all this to you months ago."

Still confused and hurt, Harry shook his head, unable to grasp where he could have gone wrong in his assumption. "But I thought… I thought you _wanted_ to have children. Isn't that why you invented that potion? So that we could–"

"Yes, Harry, on both points," Severus interrupted.

"Then you're right – I don't understand. Because I just told you that I _want_ to do this for us. I truly do, Severus. Don't you believe me?"

Severus shook his head, his features taking on a pained expression. "You can't, Harry. I'm sorry. It would be too dangerous for you to take that potion."

"What? I–"

"Avery's curse," Severus added, voice tinged with regret now, his words spoken with a slight tremor. "Your nerves. Although it is true they have been healed and are now functioning nearly at one hundred percent, they would not be able to withstand the physical stress of carrying a baby to term and most definitely not the process of labor and childbirth. If you were to take the potion and become pregnant, you would suffer a relapse and the damage to your nervous system could very well be worse than before. You could even be rendered partially paralyzed."

Holding Harry's shocked gaze with his own, Severus paused before whispering, "I'm sorry, love, but you cannot take the Geno Virilus Potion."

Harry breathed out a shaky breath and lowered his gaze, unseeing eyes fixed on their gold bonding rings as he tried to process this unexpected bit of agony. He'd only been contemplating the idea of carrying their baby for something like fifteen hours now, but somehow he felt like he'd been issued a great loss, like a part of his heart had withered and died. He wanted so much to have a child with Severus – a child that was truly theirs – and now that possibility had been stolen from them. He knew they could adopt – and he supposed they would – but the dream, short-lived though it was, had felt so real for a while, so wonderful, so right.

But something still didn't make sense. Severus must have known all along that Harry was physically unable to bear them a child. After all, he knew all about Avery's curse and its physical side effects. He'd even created a potion to cure Harry of the worst of those side effects. So, why then did he also create this other potion that made it possible for a male to give birth to a child? He'd already admitted to Harry that he invented it so that they could have their own children.

Unless…

Harry's head shot back up, emerald eyes as wide as galleons as he stared, gaping, at his husband, realization slamming into him at long last.

"You?" he breathed out. "Severus… did you invent that potion so that you could…?"

"Bear us a child?" Severus finished for him, his lips curving into a hesitant smile. "Yes. That was my intention. Would you be alright with that? I know I should have asked you earlier and I'm not even certain why I didn't. I was fearful, I suppose, of how you'd react."

"Oh my God!" Mindless with joy, his heart now racing a mile a minute in renewed excitement, Harry launched himself into Severus' arms with such force, he knocked them backwards onto the bed. His lips found Severus' and he kissed him deeply, his heart light again, his soul stirring with hope and eagerness as he spoke against his lover's mouth in between scorching kisses. "Yes! Of course, I'm alright with it! Severus, I love you… I love you so much…"

Harry withdrew from their passion abruptly and sat up, his mind all of the sudden inundated with new questions brought about by this stunning news. "But wait… wait… what about your job? Being pregnant will surely hinder your ability to teach dueling techniques in your Defense classes. And… Oh God… wouldn't that endanger the baby? Not that I'm asking you to quit – I'm not – but – and how do you feel about carrying a bump? I don't think I've ever seen any pregnant wizards around – I didn't even know it was possible until this morning – and – oh, that means you won't be able to brew any potions, doesn't it? It could be dangerous! And what about–"

"Harry," Severus interjected, chuckling over his husband's sudden frantic state, "I've already discussed the possibility of a leave of absence with Minerva. If the potion works and I find myself pregnant with our child, I will take a sabbatical. Since I've never before indulged in one and considering my tenure, I've banked at least two years worth of time."

"O-o-oh." It was a long drawn out 'oh', Harry relaxing and leaning forward to let his body melt atop Severus' as he breathed out a slow, easy breath of soul-deep contentment. Strong arms folded around his lower back, drawing him closer until Severus' soft lips brushed against his own while a teasing tongue ran slowly, sensually, along the seam of his lips. Opening his mouth at his lover's silent request, Harry surrendered to the sultry, unhurried kiss, feeling his skin begin to tingle with warmth and arousal. He felt a hand slide up his back to grasp a handful of his hair, pulling him closer, forcing their mouths to meld as the kiss became hungry.

Abandoning its teasing caresses, Severus' tongue was now eager and strong as it drove into Harry's mouth again and again, deepening both their desires which coursed through their link in driving pulses of rolling pleasure.

When the kiss ended, Severus breathed out a ragged breath and placed his hands on either side of Harry's face. The ebony orbs gazed at him with a look of intense longing, yet there was something else flickering within the dark depths – some unexplained yearning and eagerness that Harry had never seen there before.

Seconds away from inquiring about the strange look, Harry's unvoiced question died on his lips when Severus spoke in a hoarse whisper, the hushed words tinged in barely restrained anticipation.

"Do you want to try for a baby tonight?"

"What – now?" Harry blinked down at Severus, confusion replacing his elation once more. He was sure Hermione had said that Severus' potion took time to manifest the correct alterations to its drinker's anatomy. "Don't you have to take the potion for at least two months before a pregnancy can occur?"

"Yes. And that's exactly how long I've been taking it," Severus paused for a beat after his confession, a guilty look passing over his features. "I'm truly sorry, Harry, for not telling you earlier… for not asking for your opinion. I _should_ have. And if you're not ready yet, that's fine. I have another potion that I can take right now that will prevent pregnancy for at least the next twenty-four hours. I can take that daily – until you're ready – with no ill-effects. Or we can just skip the potion and I could make love to you tonight instead."

"Wait... you mean…" Harry said and then faltered, his mind spinning now, heart thundering wildly in his chest, "You… you mean you could get pregnant now – tonight?"

"Yes, love, but if you're not ready, we can wait. I've at least two more years before my age becomes a hindrance, so we needn't rush into it." Sighing, Severus shook his head roughly as if chastising himself, his eyes squeezing together briefly before opening again and pinning Harry with an earnest look.

"Harry, I do realize you're just eighteen – a fact I often forget since there was a time when you and I were the same age – and some would surely be of the opinion that because of that, you should not yet be contemplating parenthood. I wouldn't blame you if you thought the same. Being parents would entail sacrifices and limitations and I wouldn't want you to look back on your decision with any sort of resentment or regret. It's been just over half a year since you defeated Voldemort and now that you're almost finished with school, you might want to travel and do things you never had the chance to. Perhaps I am utterly mad to propose such an endeavor so soon after our bonding and with you still in school, but I had thought since both of our childhoods were such disasters, that you – like me – might be more eager than most to start a family of our own... to give our future child the love and affection and security we never had. But Harry, it truly is enough for me that you want it... _some day_. It doesn't have to happen tonight or even–"

"I'm ready," Harry cut in, unable to hold his tongue any longer. He'd listened intently to his husband's long and heartfelt speech, to his cautionary words detailing all the reasons why others would expect them to wait, but none of those reasons swayed his heart's desire in the least. None of them changed the fact that he truly wanted this and whether he and Severus were lucky enough to achieve this miracle two years from now, next month, or tonight was irrelevant. Severus was right; growing up in a loveless home only made his wish to have a child with his husband – a child who would never want for love and affection like they did – much more meaningful and deeply longed for. As far as Harry was concerned, society's notions of proper relationship chronology need not apply in their case because quite frankly, they never had before. The only thing that mattered was that both of them loved each other enough to want to share that love with a new life, a child of their very own. It was the ultimate expression of love – time, history and age be damned.

"Are you certain?" Severus asked, his eyes once again showing that hopeful, yearning look.

"Absolutely – yes! I'm certain. I want to try tonight."

"It may not take on the first try," Severus warned. His usually pale cheeks were now tinged pink, whether from arousal or from eagerness for their future child, Harry was unsure. Either way, it looked stunning on him and Harry found himself leaning down for another kiss, pausing just long enough to whisper against those soft, thin lips he loved so dearly.

"Well, then we'll just have to keep on trying, won't we, Mr. Potter-Snape? I take it this was the special thing you had planned for us tonight? Our first attempt at conceiving our child?"

A tremulous whimper issued from Severus' throat just before he choked out a breathy "yes," his lips crushing against Harry's in the admission's wake.

Lost in the sheer ecstasy of Severus' tongue once again dominating his mouth, Harry was surprised yet again when the arm wrapped around his lower back tightened suddenly and he was flipped over. His squeak of surprise was muffled by the press of Severus' lips on his, but the kiss only lasted a moment before Severus withdrew and straddled his hips. The action caused their clothed erections to press against one another briefly before Severus straightened up more fully on his knees.

"Oh, Sev..." Harry breathed, looking up at his lover with hooded green eyes, heart pounding hard against his ribs. "I want you so badly."

Severus smirked as he brought a hand up to his loosened tie and slid it from his collar with one yank. He then unfastened the top button of his shirt with nimble fingers before moving on to the next one and the one after that. Once all the buttons were undone, Severus let the shirt fall from his shoulders, the fine fabric sliding down the porcelain skin of his arms like rivulets of water over polished stone. The teasing exhibition continued as Severus moved on to the next item of clothing, his fingers unbuttoning the top button on his trousers in one quick motion before pulling down the zipper at a slow, torturous pace.

The combination of fast movements followed by languid ones drove Harry's excitement even higher, his eyes riveted to those long, clever fingers and the tantalizing pale skin they revealed.

"Mmm..." he murmured, shifting below his husband, his hands sliding up and down the still-clothed thighs spread above him, "Severus... you're killing me here..."

"Impatient, Harry?" Severus baited, his smirk devilish now. "Can't take a bit of _teasing?"_ As his lips formed the last word, he lifted up enough to pull his trousers and boxers down past his buttocks, freeing his hard length.

Harry let out a sharp breath, his pulse speeding up to breakneck levels when Severus then proceeded to take himself in hand, his long fingers wrapping around his weeping shaft and squeezing it before sliding up and down in a series of slow, tight strokes. Mindless with arousal and now desperate with need at the intoxicating sight of Severus pleasuring himself in front of him – something he had never done before – Harry reached out a shaking hand, longing to feel the silky skin covering that hard-as-steel length. He ached to run his fingertips through the moisture leaking from the tip and then curl his hand around its girth, palming it as he pumped the swollen flesh just as slowly as Severus was doing now… just as tightly…

"No," Severus grunted, wicked smile still in place as he grabbed Harry's hand and lowered it back to his thigh, "Just watch, Harry. I want you to see what you do to me... how aroused you make me."

"Oh God! I need you..."

"And you'll have me, love. I promise – just a little while longer," Severus panted, his smile beginning to slacken. The breaths leaving his parted lips were shorter and harder now, the pale skin of his chest and neck imbued with red blotches of deep arousal as his gripping hand moved faster and faster.

Despite the fact that Severus had yet to touch him, Harry was drowning in pleasure, each squeeze and jerk of Severus' hand prompting a new blast of blissful sensation to reach out to him through their link. Gripping Severus' thighs, Harry writhed beneath him, powerless to tear his gaze away from the rousing display. He could do nothing but watch and wait with barely controlled anticipation for their promised release – a slow, sweet, calculated torture that only made him want the man on top of him more.

"Please…" Harry panted, feeling them draw ever closer to the edge.

Severus threw his head back, his hand giving one final upward stroke before withdrawing abruptly. Then he crumpled forward to lay on top of Harry, their mouths meeting in a wild, breathy kiss, unsated erections colliding with only the thin material of Harry's trousers separating them.

"Why'd you stop?" Harry managed to voice around their merged mouths and heaving gasps.

"I don't want us to come yet," Severus answered, breathing hard into his mouth as he leaned to the side to snatch up his wand from the bedside table. Propping himself up on his left elbow, his wand in his right, he whispered the now familiar incantation to remove clothing. A second later, Harry was divested of all barriers separating him from his husband.

"From now on, love, when you come, it will be inside me," Severus breathed into his ear, placing a soft kiss below it. Then he straightened up once more, bracing himself on his knees and shins again. He pointed his wand at both their groins, whispering yet another familiar incantation – one that slicked both their throbbing erections with warm lubricant.

Harry reached a hand to the slickness now covering his own length, intent on coating his fingers with the lubricant so he could prepare his lover, but once again, Severus denied him, grabbing his wrist and gently pulling his hand away.

"No, Harry. Remember... you're to be at my mercy tonight."

"But Sev, I need to prepare you."

Severus shook his head and then edged forward on his knees so that he was now straddling Harry's stomach. Reaching behind him, he wrapped long fingers around Harry's slicked length while he re-positioned himself. Placing his left hand on the mattress beside Harry for support, he rocked forward a bit on bent knees, his back curled over and head bent low, dark eyes locked with green ones beneath him as he pressed the head of Harry's erection to his entrance.

"Sev, no! I'll hurt you… no, please… let me…" Harry protested, his hand raised again, poised to intervene.

"Harry, trust me – it will be fine. I'll take it slow. Any pain I feel, you'll feel, too, remember? And you know I would never do anything to hurt you. So just relax and let me join us."

Despite Harry's fear about penetrating Severus without preparation, he trusted him and he knew – above all else – that Severus would never knowingly cause him any undue pain. In fact, he could tell by that familiar look of wily determination in those ebony eyes, that Severus had a plan, one he'd most likely been developing for some time. Harry may not have complete faith in this mystery plan – whatever it may be – but he _did_ have faith in his husband.

Returning his hands to Severus' thighs once more, Harry ran his fingers up and down the clenching muscles as he forced his own body to relax and let go, his gaze never wavering from those resolute, dark eyes.

"OK," he whispered. "I love you."

In lieu of an answering endearment, Severus leaned forward and drew Harry's lips to his own in a slow, sensual kiss, all the while continuing in his endeavor to coax their joining.

After several long moments of this torturous knee-weakening bliss – of feeling the sensitive head of his slicked length pushed against Severus' entrance alternating with it being slid around the perimeter of that twitching muscle – Harry finally felt himself breach his lover. He gasped, jolted by a sharp twinge of pain resulting from the penetration, but that pain died quickly, masked by a burst of unfathomable pleasure. Severus had snaked his hand beneath Harry's neck and pressed his fingertips hard against that point at the base of his skull – one of his most potent erogenous pressure points, second only to the one on his lower back.

"Sev!" Harry panted, struggling to catch his breath through the ripples of raw pleasure surging through him – through the both of them. He reached up to grasp Severus' shoulders, fingertips delving into the lean muscles as Severus sank down further onto his length. Again, there was a jab of intense pain and again, Severus dug his fingers into Harry's neck, bringing another blast of breath-stealing ecstasy which instantly dissolved the pain.

The exchange between sensory extremes seemed to last forever, Severus lowering himself onto Harry at a painstakingly slow pace and then stimulating his pressure point to give them pleasure in the midst of their joint discomfort. Through the whole process, Severus' head remained lowered, his mouth close to Harry's, their lips barely touching with breaths mingling in an intimate merging of breath, body and soul. With each second that passed, their pain lessened and their pleasure increased, building into a massive inferno of blissful sensation, shared between them as sure as their heated breath.

Finally, Harry was fully sheathed inside Severus who relaxed his tight muscles, his body letting go of all resistance as he curled forward further, claiming Harry's mouth again. The kiss was deep and driving at first, as frenzied as their rapidly approaching release before Severus slowed the kiss, softening it to a caressing slide of lips and tongues, letting their breaths coalesce once again. Left hand still curled around Harry's neck, he pressed his thumb to Harry's pressure point again, watching with intense black eyes as Harry gasped and squirmed, flooding his mouth with a strained breath.

With a satisfied smile, Severus started moving, slender hips rocking in a slow, circular pattern.

Harry whimpered at the sensation of Severus' inner muscles squeezing and rubbing him, the friction and heat of their joining driving him to new heights of arousal. Without conscious thought, his hips began to rock together with Severus', the both of them soon adopting the same familiar rhythm, moving in tandem, each gentle and hypnotic motion bringing Harry closer and closer to the edge.

Eyes closed, Harry barely registered the hand inching from his neck to his lower back when all of the sudden, knowing fingers found his other erogenous point along the base of his spine and pressed _hard_. He climaxed almost instantly, a feral shout of pleasure escaping his throat as his back arched, causing him to thrust up into Severus further who clenched around him in reaction, his inner walls holding Harry in an impossibly tight squeeze. Clamping down on his heaving breaths, Harry's fingers dug into Severus' shoulders for support through the most intense orgasm he'd experienced since being cured of his nerve hypersensitivity. His body almost convulsed through the blissful onslaught, his teeth biting down on his lower lip hard enough to draw blood, eyes squeezed shut and muscles tight and trembling. He heard Severus cry out a heartbeat later, his powerful release rushing through their link and plowing into Harry, sending his climax soaring even higher.

They held onto each other as they rode out the sensations of raw bliss flowing back and forth through their channel for long, long moments, gasping for breath. Harry held onto Severus, relishing the embrace of long arms and legs around him and then Severus rolled them over so that Harry was now on top of him.

Bending down to capture his lover's parted lips, Harry kissed Severus slowly as their euphoric high receded, their breaths slowing and their bodies melting into one another. He made to pull out, but Severus prevented him from severing their joining with a swift squeeze of the muscles sheathing him.

"Harry, not quite yet. Stay inside me a little longer."

It was an easy request to comply with and Harry only realized a minute or so later why Severus had flipped them over and why he now wanted Harry to remain inside him while he lay on his back, hips curved up, long, slender legs wound lazily around Harry's back. His husband was attempting to maximize their chances of conception, keeping Harry's release deep within him in the hopes that a new life would soon come into being. It occurred to Harry in that moment that he had no earthly clue how this whole process could possibly take place, fabricated womb or not – _wasn't an egg and an ovary required?_ – but he ignored his curiosity, trusting that Severus would at some point explain it all to him. For now, he obliged his husband, pushing forward ever so slightly to deepen Severus' angled position, his arms sliding beneath those slender shoulders as he held his lover close. Then he kissed him, trying to show just how much this man – _his husband!_ – meant to him with the soft touch of his lips and breath and the loving caress of his tongue brushing alongside Severus'.

"That was brilliant," Harry said, ending the tender kiss, "the way you diminished our pain with my pressure points."

Then he leaned on one forearm and brought his other hand down to his lover's flat stomach. His fingers caressed the taut skin, now slick with sweat and the cooling remains of Severus' release, smiling as he imagined that one day, their child would grow and be nurtured beneath the pale, damp skin.

"Do you think it will take this time? Do you think you'll become pregnant?" he asked.

Severus smiled up at him. "I don't know, love. But if it does, you'd best be prepared to experience some pain by proxy."

Harry tilted his head in confusion before Severus added, "Labor and delivery, Harry. I doubt very much we can bypass that particular shared pain through our link by simply experimenting with your pressure points."

Green eyes widened as Harry considered this latest bit of information. It made sense that he would feel whatever Severus felt and that included pain as well as pleasure. He would get to experience the discomfort of a body changing and stretching to accommodate new life, the pain of delivering that new life into the world, but also the exquisite sensation of their baby's first movements, the subtle fluttering of tiny arms and legs as they moved inside his husband.

All at once, joyous and grateful tears flooded Harry's eyes and his throat tightened with emotion, overwhelming him, his breath hitching. He looked up and saw that his husband's eyes were wet as well, the dark orbs glassy like shined obsidian. Harry might not be destined to bear their child... but because of his link with Severus, it would _feel_ as though he were.

They would share in this experience – _this miracle_ – together... as one.

Severus placed his hand atop Harry's which was still caressing his stomach. With practiced ease, his fingers found their way to Harry's bonding ring and he tapped it.

A rush of love barreled through Harry at the familiar caress to his 'point of love.' Tears sliding down his cheeks now, he laced their fingers, his heart fluttering in his chest, anticipation for their new life together rivaled only by the soul-deep contentment he found as he gazed deeply into the tearful ebony eyes of his husband.

"Thank you," he whispered shakily.

"For what, Mr. Potter-Snape?" Severus asked, a small smile curving his lips.

"For this gift – the most perfect Christmas gift I could ever receive."

Severus' smile widened, a tear falling from his long lashes as he asked, "The gift of a child?"

Harry shook his head, tears falling from his eyes in earnest now. "No, for the gift of love. Your love. And everything born from that love – our home, our marriage _and_ our future child. Your love is the only gift I'll ever need."

"Then rest assured, husband mine," Severus whispered, pulling Harry down for a tearful kiss, "this particular gift will always be yours for the taking. Always."

**Story End.**

**A/N:** Happy holidays, everyone! I hope you're all enjoying this lovely festive season and that this story has added to that enjoyment! I must admit to you that at first, I was apprehensive about broadening the GSM world, but these two characters just refused to cease their niggling at my muse. They just kept demanding that more be written about them! So I obliged them, of course. What else could I do? That being said, don't be surprised if I drop another GSM follow-up story or two on you all in 2015. After all, it would be a crime to miss out on Severus' pregnancy and the birth of their first child, right?

Another BIG thank you to my Beta, Yen. Girl, I could not have done this without you. Seriously! This chapter in particular is SO much better with your additions and suggestions! THANK YOU! :)

For those of you following my Severitus story, **Forsaken Scion**, I'm sorry, but I have not even started the next chapter yet! As soon as the holidays are over and normalcy once again returns to my life, I will jump back into that project – I promise! :)

**Merry Christmas, Happy New Year & Please Review.**


End file.
